Editing Lincoln Tunnel (section)

=== Construction of second tube ===
In November 1936, as construction on the first tube was winding down, the Port Authority's commissioners met to discuss the feasibility of adding a second tube, located north of and parallel to the first tube.<ref name="The New York Times 1936 3">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/11/24/archives/twin-hudson-tube-at-38th-st-pushed-port-commissioners-to-meet-today.html |title=Twin Hudson Tube at 38th St. Pushed |date=November 24, 1936 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327025451/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/11/24/archives/twin-hudson-tube-at-38th-st-pushed-port-commissioners-to-meet-today.html |url-status=live }}</ref>  Although the original design in 1933 had called for two tubes,<ref name="loan-accepted" /> the PWA funds had only covered the cost of the first tube. It was estimated that if a second tube were to be built immediately, the cost of that tube would be cheaper because the workers and machinery were already on site.<ref name="The New York Times 1936 3" /> The commissioners thus agreed to construct a second tube,<ref name="The New York Times 1936 2" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspapers%252021%2FRockaway%2520Beach%2520NY%2520%2520Wave%2520Of%2520Long%2520Island%2FRockaway%2520Beach%2520NY%2520%2520Wave%2520Of%2520Long%2520Island%2520%25201935-1936%2FRockaway%2520Beach%2520NY%2520%2520Wave%2520Of%2520Long%2520Island%2520%25201935-1936%2520-%25200865.pdf |title=New Midtown Hudson Tunnel Is Near Completion Under River |date=December 10, 1936 |work=Rockaway Wave |access-date=April 14, 2018 |pages=6 |via=Old Fulton New York Postcards |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124023540/https://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers%2021/Rockaway%20Beach%20NY%20%20Wave%20Of%20Long%20Island/Rockaway%20Beach%20NY%20%20Wave%20Of%20Long%20Island%20%201935-1936/Rockaway%20Beach%20NY%20%20Wave%20Of%20Long%20Island%20%201935-1936%20-%200865.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> which was expected to cost an additional $33 million, bringing the total cost of the project to around $80 million.<ref name="The New York Times 1936 2" /> The next month, the Port Authority sold a $10 million bond issue at a 3% interest rate.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/12/16/archives/port-authority-3s-sold-at-premium-new-low-interest-rate-for-issuer.html |title=Port Authority 3's Sold at Premium |date=December 16, 1936 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 26, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327030538/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/12/16/archives/port-authority-3s-sold-at-premium-new-low-interest-rate-for-issuer.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In August 1937, the PWA issued $29.1 million in funds for the second tube, consisting of a $26 million loan and a $3.1 million grant.<ref name="The New York Times 1937 4">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/08/18/archives/29100000-marked-for-lincoln-tube-city-gets-word-of-presidents.html |title=$29,100,000 Marked for Lincoln Tube |date=August 18, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328041227/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/08/18/archives/29100000-marked-for-lincoln-tube-city-gets-word-of-presidents.html |url-status=live }}</ref> By the time the first tube had opened in December 1937, the cost of construction had risen to $85 million.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/19/archives/pageantry-to-open-the-lincoln-tunnel-dedication-on-tuesday-will-be.html |title=Pageantry to Open the Lincoln Tunnel |date=December 19, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328102609/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/19/archives/pageantry-to-open-the-lincoln-tunnel-dedication-on-tuesday-will-be.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At the time, the second tube was set to be completed in 1940.<ref name=Courier-NewTunnel-1938/>

A contract for the second tube was released in February 1937, at a cost of $8.7 million.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/02/05/archives/contract-let-for-tube-second-unit-of-hudson-midtown-tunnel-to-cost.html |title=Contract Let for Tube |date=February 5, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 24, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324234258/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/02/05/archives/contract-let-for-tube-second-unit-of-hudson-midtown-tunnel-to-cost.html |url-status=live }}</ref> That July, a steel caisson, similar to that for the first tube, was sunk into the Manhattan side at the western end of 39th Street.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/07/22/archives/tunnel-caisson-put-in-place.html |title=Tunnel Caisson Put in Place |date=July 22, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328044351/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/07/22/archives/tunnel-caisson-put-in-place.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The next month, three parcels of land in New Jersey were acquired to make way for the second tube.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/08/23/archives/tunnel-realty-bought-port-authority-acquires-three-parcels-in-union.html |title=Tunnel Realty Bought |date=August 23, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328102611/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/08/23/archives/tunnel-realty-bought-port-authority-acquires-three-parcels-in-union.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The second-tube project would include the construction of the "express highway" in New Jersey, which would connect to [[New Jersey Route 1|NJ 1]] (now part of [[U.S. Route 1 in New Jersey|U.S. 1]]) and [[New Jersey Route 3|NJ 3]] in western North Bergen.<ref name="The New York Times 1937 4" />  At the time of the first tube's opening, the express highway ended at the toll plaza just outside the tunnel portal, leading to Boulevard East and Park Avenue.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/21/archives/governors-to-open-new-tunnel-today-lehman-and-hoffman-to-lead.html |title=Governors to Open New Tunnel Today |date=December 21, 1937 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 28, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328104653/https://www.nytimes.com/1937/12/21/archives/governors-to-open-new-tunnel-today-lehman-and-hoffman-to-lead.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Bidding for the express highway began in January 1938,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1938/01/10/96774862.html |title=Tube Road Contract Let for Union City |date=January 9, 1938 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=March 27, 2018 |language=en |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124023549/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1938/01/10/96774862.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and a contract for the "helix" ramp to the express highway was awarded in April of that year.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/04/05/archives/1032339-contract-on-lincoln-tunnellet-port-authority-also-awards.html |title=$1,032,339 Contract On Lincoln Tunnel Let |date=April 5, 1938 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 28, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328105835/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/04/05/archives/1032339-contract-on-lincoln-tunnellet-port-authority-also-awards.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:2018-07-08 14 42 02 View east along New Jersey State Route 495 (Lincoln Tunnel Approach) at the exit for New Jersey State Route 3 (Secaucus) in Secaucus, Hudson County, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|left|The express highway to Lincoln Tunnel from the [[New Jersey Turnpike]], which is part of [[New Jersey Route 495]]]]

Boring work on the tube itself proceeded quickly, and in May 1938, the two segments of the second tube were holed-through. This was significant because the second tube was only {{Convert|75|ft|m}} away from the first tube, and for the past five months, boring operations had proceeded while traffic was running in the adjacent first tube.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/01/archives/new-lincoln-tube-ahead-of-schedule-holing-through-tomorrow-weeks.html |title=New Lincoln Tube Ahead of Schedule |date=May 1, 1938 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 28, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328105904/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/01/archives/new-lincoln-tube-ahead-of-schedule-holing-through-tomorrow-weeks.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, work on the second tube was halted the same month because New Jersey had failed to build sufficient approach roads to accommodate the extra traffic load.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/18/archives/one-lincoln-tube-will-be-delayed-completion-of-north-bore-to-be.html |title=One Lincoln Tube Will Be Delayed |date=May 18, 1938 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 28, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328104646/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/18/archives/one-lincoln-tube-will-be-delayed-completion-of-north-bore-to-be.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Economic considerations also played a significant role in the work stoppage, since the New Jersey Highway Commissioner had said that the state lacked enough money to build these new highways.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/21/archives/jersey-lacks-road-funds-sterner-says-it-cant-build-feed-routes-to.html |title=Jersey Lacks Road Funds: Sterner Says It Can't Build Feed Routes to New Tunnel |date=May 21, 1938 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 28, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328164459/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/05/21/archives/jersey-lacks-road-funds-sterner-says-it-cant-build-feed-routes-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The ends of the second tube were sealed because it was thought that there would not be enough traffic flows to the first tube to allow for the completion of the second tube.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=http%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252018%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201939%2FTroy%2520NY%2520Times%2520Record%25201939%2520-%25203186.pdf |title=Will Seal Up Tube of Lincoln Tunnel |date=August 31, 1939 |work=Troy Times Record |access-date=April 16, 2018 |pages=5 |via=Old Fulton New York Postcards}}</ref> The six-lane "loop" road, an approach to the future express highway, opened in October 1938 and extended west to Pleasant Avenue, located at the top of the King's Bluff ledge.<ref name="The New York Times 1938">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/10/09/archives/jersey-set-to-open-lincoln-tunnel-drive-loop-roadway-approach-to-be.html |title=Jersey Set to Open Lincoln Tunnel Drive |date=October 9, 1938 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 28, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328234504/https://www.nytimes.com/1938/10/09/archives/jersey-set-to-open-lincoln-tunnel-drive-loop-roadway-approach-to-be.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 1939, the Port Authority opened the section of the express highway from Pleasant Avenue west to NJ 3. The new highway, a six-lane divided road running in an [[Cut (earthmoving)|open cut]], was designated as an eastern extension of NJ 3.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1939/07/01/archives/tomorrows-road-opened-in-jersey-streamlined-lincoln-tunnel-link-is.html |title='Tomorrow's Road' Opened in Jersey |date=July 1, 1939 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 28, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329060131/https://www.nytimes.com/1939/07/01/archives/tomorrows-road-opened-in-jersey-streamlined-lincoln-tunnel-link-is.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Work on the second tube resumed in April 1941 as part of the Port Authority's 20th-anniversary ceremony, the "Port Preparedness Dedication." The [[United States Army]] had deemed the Lincoln Tunnel to be an important part of wartime defense, and so the Port Authority expedited plans for completing the tube by 1943 at a cost of between $9 million and $12 million.<ref name="The New York Times 1941" /> The Manhattan portal of the new tube was to be located one block west of the original tube's portal, and in August 1941, the Port Authority awarded a contract to build a roadway connecting from the original tube's plaza to the new tube's portal. A new street, Galvin Avenue, was created from 42nd to 40th Streets, running between 10th and 11th Avenues and carrying southbound traffic to the westbound tunnel. On the New Jersey side, contracts were awarded for the westward extension of NJ 3 to [[Little Falls, New Jersey]], as well as the construction of a portion of what is now [[U.S. Route 46|US 46]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/08/10/archives/to-aid-users-of-tunnel-road-work-in-new-jersey-also-will-cut-time.html |title=To Aid Users of Tunnel |last=Mathieu |first=George M. |date=August 10, 1941 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 29, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330012426/https://www.nytimes.com/1941/08/10/archives/to-aid-users-of-tunnel-road-work-in-new-jersey-also-will-cut-time.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Due to wartime material shortages, further construction was delayed for the next two years. Significant progress on the second tube only resumed in late 1943. By January 1944, work on the new tube was being accelerated because the existing tube now had heavy congestion in both directions during rush hours, as opposed to the situation in mid-1942, where congestion generally only accumulated toward New York in the morning and New Jersey in the evening. At this stage, much of the second tube had been completed to the point where traffic could use it in case of an emergency, and the tube was planned to be opened that July.<ref name="The New York Times 1944" /> However, work was again delayed, and in November of the same year, the Port Authority announced that the new tube would open the following February.<ref name="The New York Times 1944 2" />